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What are the different types of fire alarms?

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The two basic types of fire alarms are ionization and photoelectric units. Ionization alarms work by sensing a drop in electrical current; this drop is caused by smoking neutralizing ions inside the alarm. It sounds complicated, but this is a basic and very sensitive design. Photoelectric alarms, in contrast, employ light beams and a light sensor. If smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the beam and the sensor sounds the alarm. It takes more smoke to set off these photoelectric alarms, so they are better than ionization units at ignoring false alarms, such as smoke from appliances, but they also take longer before recognizing a real fire.

After choosing between an ionization and photoelectric alarm, you will also need to choose the power source for your alarm. Most residential fire alarms are battery-powered, but some are hardwired into an existing electrical system. The main advantages of battery-powered units are their flexibility (you can install them anywhere) and their dependability (you never have to worry about power outages). Some homes and businesses, however, connect their fire alarm(s) to the electrical system. The advantage of an electrical alarm is that you can easily connect it to lights, sprinklers, or other alarms. In addition, you never have to think about changing batteries. A third option is to have a unit that is hardwired to your electrical system but also contains a back up battery so that your alarm never loses power.

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